Category: STS Events (Page 1 of 2)

Friday March 30 is International Bipolar Day! Come Laugh About It!

This Friday, join us at 6:30 PM at the Taylor Ranch/Don Newton Community Center before our support group for a special presentation of the Stand Up To Stigma education event “Laugh It Off.”

“Laugh It Off” is weekly presented at Turquoise Lodge Hospital, as well as individual events over the last year. Oddly, we’ve never actually presented to DBSA Albuquerque. So, what better day that International Bipolar Day?

DBSA Albuquerque president Sarah Salway and DBSA Albuquerque vice president Steve Bringe will be our comics for the night. The idea for “Laugh It Off” is to laugh about the horrible things that have happened in our lives as a result of our mental health symptoms, and if you can laugh at the horrible things, it takes away some of the power these horrible things have over us.

“Laugh It Off” begins at 6:30 PM and ends at 6:50 PM.

Our regular support groups at 7 PM, as usual.

I’ve been led to believe DBSA Albuquerque treasurer will have cake for us. Yum! Cake!

 

Congratulations to the 2017 DBSA Albuquerque Board!

DBSA Albuquerque has elected its board for 2017! Congratulations go to …

Executive Board
Steve Bringe – President
Stephanie Juddo – Vice President
Sarah Salway – Secretary
Frank Perry – Treasurer

Board Members at Large
Megan Cox – Director, Chapter Activities Committee
Jana Perry – Director, Education & Outreach Committee

Many thanks go to outgoing 2016 Board members Rasma Cox and Yvonne Cox.

It’s a bit belated coming this year. We’ll be holding elections for our 2018 board in October, 2017. If you’d like to be part of the DBSA Albuquerque board helping to lead our chapter and manage the business of our chapter, please consider nominating yourself this coming October.

Personal note from Steve
I will not be returning as president for 2018. Line in the sand, although I will remain as a member of our chapter and offer my assistance to incoming boards as a resource and guide if requested.

While I’ve appreciated the support I’ve had managing our chapter, it’s time to allow our fellow peers the same opportunity as I did in empowering myself by being part of our board. I’m transitioning to personal educational advocacy projects that are a true passion for me which continue to include DBSA Albuquerque.

We have a great team this year and we’ve hit the ground running with the overarching theme “SUSTAINABILITY”. We’re always looking for chapter member volunteers to help out, so please consider being a volunteer for your chapter.

Spring is coming, and so are DBSA Albuquerque get-togethers!

The temperatures are warming, the sunlight is hanging around a little longer every day, and if it weren’t for the winds today and the impending spring winds of New Mexico to come, we could do pretty much every event outside. But we won’t, because their are cool things inside, too.

Here’s a small sampling of the things we’ll be offering our community, with the single idea of:


Let’s allow the friends we make while at group to meet each other, learn more about each other, and enjoy each others’ company with folks who won’t judge or expect you to be symptom-free to enjoy going out.


DBSA Albuquerque events:

  • Weekly Bosque Walks
  • Sunday visits to any of the Albuquerque and New Mexico museums and parks.
  • “Laugh It Off” performed weekly so our community will under what it is like to live with mental health challenges… and we’re always looking for new comics!
  • Monthly education nights around the city that focus on practical information peers, friends, and families can use.
  • A tour of the 911/242-COPS Call Center (this is a way cool one!)
  • Periodic out-of-city geology and history tours led by Steve Bringe – This requires coordinated transportation.
  • Visits to our state’s National Parks, including our own local Petroglyph National Monument. – We are organizing a talk from NPS employees on the Access Card and how to obtain one.
  • Bowling Nights.
  • City Park barbecues.
  • Peers performing our education programs, “Laugh It Off”, “Milestones In My Recovery Journey”, and “You Cant’ Always See It” to live audiences, with questions and answers afterwards.
  • Our established weekly Game Night, of course.
  • Health Fairs where YOU can come help represent our chapter and our peer community.
  • A Peer Wellness Conference in September. This is going to take a lot of work and we’ll need your help to make it a success.
  • And so so so so so much more!
  • This is just to give you an idea of what we’ll be up to as a chapter this year and into coming years.

    The other main reason for all these events, beyond education, beyond companionship, beyond having fun… For those with mental health challenges, it’s so easy to stay home in bed and isolate. We really want to offer folks a reason to get out of bed into the world. Come to any group. There’s not a one of us who hasn’t isolated because of our symptoms.

    Whew! That’s a lot, although when you think in terms of I’ve been putting this stuff together and planning everything for four years now, it’s not as overwhelming of a task as it might seem.

    Let’s get out when the sun is high, have some fun, and get to know each other better outside of group.

    Let’s get out because it’s great for our wellness and recovery.

    Let’s just get out!

Mental Health Response Advisory Committee (MHRAC) Meeting; July 19, 2016 – 5 PM to 7 PM – The Rock at NoonDay

What: MHRAC July 2016 Meeting
Where: The Rock at NoonDay, 2400 2nd St. NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87102
When: July 19, 2016 – 5 PM to 7 PM

Tonight, the Mental Health Response Advisory Committee is holding its July 2016 meeting. MHRAC is a group of community stakeholders dedicated to collaborating with the Albuquerque Police Department in developing training, procedures, and policies that promote positive and productive outcomes of peers and APD encounters.

MHRAC needs to hear from YOU. Peers, and their friends and families, are those community members who are directly affected by the work MHRAC is accomplishing, and these meetings open to the general public is where you can be involved in helping guide MHRAC and APD in addressing your issues, concerns and needs.

Last month, we had ten peers in the audience. DBSA Albuquerque would love to see even more of our faces in the crowd. It’d be great if you could attend, and it’d be great if you bring other peers, your families, and your friends. DBSA Albuquerque co-president Steve Bringe sits on MHRAC, so we have a very direct voice on the committee.

We hope to see you there!


AGENDA
Mental Health Response and Advisory Committee (MHRAC)
July 19, 2016
5:00-7:00 P.M.
2400 2nd Street NW (The Rock)
1. Welcome First Time Guests

2. Approval of June 2016 Minutes

3. Public Comment (two minutes per person, 15 minutes total)

4. Civnet Presentation (Charlie Wisoff)

5. Update from APD/CIU, Nils Rosenbaum

6. Information on Brian Settin’s meeting on AOT (Jim Ogle)

7. CASA Status Hearing Discussion

8. Open discussion and closing comments from Co-chairs

9. Next meeting, August 16, 2016

Mental Health Response Advisory Committee (MHRAC) – June 21, 2016 Meeting Agenda

Please join us at the June 2016 MHRAC Public Meeting at the Rock at Noon Day. DBSA Albuquerque Co-President Steve Bringe sits on MHRAC as a peer representative.


AGENDA
Mental Health Response and Advisory Committee (MHRAC)
June 21, 2016
5:00-7:00 P.M.
2400 2nd Street NW (The Rock)

1. Welcome First Time Guests

2. Approval of May 2016 Minutes

3. Public Comment (two minutes per person, 15 minutes total)

4. Replacing MHRAC member Ken Gilman

5. Update from APD/CIU, Nils Rosenbaum

6. Reverse drug buy bust arrests, David Ley, Eric Garcia

7. Update and discussion of SOP 3-29, Co-chairs

8. Update and discussion on UNM and APD MOU

9. Open discussion and closing comments from Co-chairs

10. Next meeting, July 18,

DBSA Comedy Dress Rehearsal on Thursday, May 26, 6 PM

Comedy fans! Come to DBSA Albuquerque’s Thursday night support group, or rather, come before DBSA Albuquerque’s Thursday night support group and take in the comedy stylings of Dennis Gray, Marion Crouse, and Steve Bringe.

What: DBSA Peer Comedy Dress Rehearsal
Where: Heights Community Center
823 Buena Vista Dr. SE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
When: 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Thursday, May 26, 2016

We’ll be doing a short dress rehearsal for our first comedy show at the Turquoise Lodge Hospital in Albuquerque. DBSA Albuquerque is reaching out to our community and spreading mental health education and awareness through the medium of jokes about mental health. It’s good stuff.

Dennis, Marion, and Steve have their short comedy sets prepared for Friday’s gig at the Turquoise Lodge, and we’d appreciate you coming before group to laugh and/or boo to help them get over their nerves and shakes before Friday.

Hecklers are more than welcome.

Beyond Support Groups: DBSA Albuquerque visits MEOW WOLF in Santa Fe

DBSA Albuquerque on the Town! Red Light Cameras at MEOW WOLF in Santa Fe was a hoot and a half, and here’s some photos to prove it!

The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance Albuquerque is starting up the Spring/Summer 2016 season with a ton of special field trips and weekly events for members (and their friends, and their families, and our community) scheduled for the coming months.

Join our DBSA Community Beacon (sign-up form just to the right of this article) for the latest news on events and happenings in our communities.

Join DBSA Albuquerque at the New Mexico Crisis & Access Line Health Fair this Saturday

Join DBSA Albuquerque at the
New Mexico Crisis & Access Line
Health Fair this Saturday

DBSA Albuquerque will be at the New Mexico Crisis and Access Line Health Fair this Saturday in Albuquerque.

Where: Explora in Old Town Albuqurque
1701 Mountain Rd. NW
Albuquerque, NM 87104
When: Saturday, May 14, 10 AM to 6 PM

The NMCAL Health Fair is an opportunity for our communities to learn and understand more about mental health and behavioral health, how it impacts our everyday lives and how it is seen in our everyday lives. DBSA Albuquerque is one of many organizations and agencies attending this Saturday.

Drop by our table and say howdy! We’ll have many peers from DBSA Albuquerque at our table throughout the day, and they’re excited to share more about themselves and our chapter with you.

The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance Albuquerque Chapter is a 501c3 volunteer organization.

DBSA Albuquerque in Santa Fe support group is back at the De Vargas Mall!

Download printable DBSA Albuquerque’s Santa Fe Flyer

Great news! Juan Geyer has returned from abroad and among his top priorities is getting our DBSA Santa Fe chapter and support group up and running for the peers of Northern New Mexico!

DBSA Albuquerque in Santa Fe is holding group at the De Vargas Mall Community Room.

Support group meets from 5:30 to 7:30 PM every Thursday.

There is easy parking and entrance at rear of mall, next to Traveler’s Market.

There is dedicated accessible parking and accessible first floor entrance.

DBSA Albuquerue’s
DBSA support group in Santa Fe is 100% Confidential.

For more information, contact Juan at:

505-501-2721
info@dbsasantafe.org
info@dbsaalbuquerque.org

Juan is all geared up to make this the best peer support group in Northern New Mexico. We hope you find your way to DBSA Santa Fe support group.

Download printable DBSA Santa Fe Flyer

DBSA Albuquerque Book Club Starts This Week

Hey Fellow DBSA members!

Do you love to read? Are you interested in Sci-fi? Mystery? Murder? Fantasy?

Join DBSA Book Club!

Book Club meetings are the last Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm.

Meetings will be held at Rasma Cox’s home:

1402 Columbia Dr. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87106

Please come if you are able.

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